Assembling apparatus



May 1o, 1966 Filed April 7, 1965 IIII IIIIHIIHIIIIU G. H, LEONARD3,249,991

ASSEMBLING APPARATUS 8 Sheets-Sheet l May l0, 1966 G. H. LEoNARDASSEMBLING APPARATUS 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 7, 1965 May 10, 1966G. H. LEONARD ASSEMBLING APPARATUS 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 7, 1965@E Qi @E May 10, 1966 G. H, LEONARD 3,249,991

AssEMBLING APPARATUS Filed April 7, 1965 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 May 10, 1966G. H. LEONARD ASSEMBLING APPARATUS 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed A pril 7, 1965May lo 1966 G. H, LEONARD 3,249,991

ASSEMBLING APPARATUS Filed April 7, 1965 8 S`neets-Sheet 6 May 10, 1966G. H. LEONARD 3,249,991

v ASSEMBLING APPARATUS Filed April 7, 1965 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 TIO M 228 L.A #22e- 2,46 212 v 221 ZLLLLf iff l- I n3 -108 aua-1 Y 2LH-l 21m 3M" 236/L 250 2 20a 214e zuz u8 252 May l0, 1966 G. H. LEONARD ASSEMBLINGAPPARATUS 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed April '7, 1965 United States Patent O3,249,991 ASSEMBLING APPARATUS George Hamlin Leonard, Darien, Conn.,assigner to AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa. Filed Apr. 7, 1965, Ser.No. 446,278

7 Claims. (Cl. 29-203) rlfhis invention relates to assembling devicesand particularly to devices of the type intended for making cliptypeelectrical connections.

The copending application of Robert Franklin Cobaugh, Serial No.171,074, discloses a method of connecting a conductor to a terminal postby means of a clip having an open seam extendingaxially along one sidethereof. In accordance with the teachings of this Cobaugh application,the conductor is positioned with its axis extending transversely of theaxis of the post and the clip is moved against the conductor andtelescopically onto the post in a manner such that the clip drags theconductor over the surface of the post. In the finished connection, theconductor is clamped against a surface of the post by means of the clipand emerges from conlined relationship at the end of the clip which isproximate to the base of the post. v

One form of apparatus for making such clip-type connections is disclosedin the above-identied Cobaugh application while alternative devices formaking connections of this type are disclosed and claimed in applicationSerial No. 299,377, filed August 1, 1963, now abandoned, applicationSerial No. 344,304, filed February 12, 19,64, now U.S. Patent No.3,186,073 granted June 1, 1965, and in other copending applications. Thepresent invention relates to an improved tool for making cliptypeelectrical connections in accordance with the principles of theabove-identified Cobaugh application, Serial No. 171,074.

An object of the invention is 4to provide an improved assembling deviceof the type which is adapted to move one part telescopically ontoanother part. A further object is to provide a tool for making aclip-type electrical connection. A still further object is to providea`tool having a reciprocable clip pushing device which is actuated by acompressed spring. A still further object is to provide an assemblingtool having a reciprocable clip pushing device actuated by an electricmotor Working through a compressible spring.

These and other objects of the invention are achieved 3,249,991 PatentedMay 1o, 1966 FIGURE 1A is a perspective view of a short section of stripcomprising terminal clips connected together end-to-end;

FIGURE 1B is a sectional side view of a clip-type electrical connectionbetween a terminal post and a conductor;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary perspective view on an enlarged scale showingthe end portion of the clip pusher of the tool of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional side view of the frontal portion ofthe tool showing the mandrel, the clip pusher, and the support block onwhich the mandrel is mounted;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a detent device by means of which themovement of the strip of clips is controlled during movement of the clippusher;

FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 are sectional plan views of different levels of thetool of FIGURE 1, these views being taken along the lines 5 5, 6-6, and7-7 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURES 8, 9, and 10 are transverse sectional views taken along thelines 8 8, 9-9, and 10-10 of FIG- URE 7;

FIGURE 11 is a perspective exploded view showing most of the parts ofthe tool of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE l2 is a perspective exploded view showing the elements of thetrigger mechanism by means of which the movement of the clip pusher iscontrolled, the parts being inverted from the normal positions in thisview in the interest of clarity;

FIGURE 13 is a fragmentary sectional View taken along the lines 13-13 ofFIGURE 1 and showing positions of the trigger mechanism, this Viewshowingrthe portions of the parts in the beginning of the operatingcycle;

FIGURES 14 and 15 are views similar to FIGUREV 13 but showing therelative positions of the parts at two different stages of the operatingcycle;

in a preferred embodiment thereof comprising a pistolf type hand toolhaving a reciprocable clip pusher by means of which an individualterminal clip can be pushed onto a terminal post in accordance with theteachings of the previously identified Cobaugh application', Serial No.171,074. In the disclosed embodiment, the clip pusher is moved in thedirection of its working stroke by means of a pair of coil springs.After the completion of the Working stroke (during which the clip ismoved onto the terminal post), the springs are compressed and the clippusher is retracted to its initial position by means of a relativelysmall electric motor which is lcoupled to the clip pusher through a geartrain and closed circuit Vrack and pinion arrangement. A distinctivefeature of the disclosed embodiment of the invention is that arelatively small motor can be used since the retraction of the clippusher and the compression of the coil springs can be carried outrelatively slowly. In other words, a small motor working through a geartrain having a relai tively large reduction ratio compresses the springsafter` each working stroke of the clip pusher and thereby stores portion4 having sidewalls 6 on opposite sides. These sidewalls are curledinwardly and towards the underside of the web as shown at 8 and anoutwardly cupped insulation support 10 is provided in the leading end ofthe web to support the conductor 14 at its point of emergence fromconfined relationship. In the finished connection, the stripped end16 ofthe conductor is held between the internal surface of the web 4 and thesurface of the post.

The disclosed embodiment of the invention (FIGURE l) is a pistolagriptype electrically actuated hand tool having a handle 3, a supportingbase 5 secured to the handle at its upper end, and aI cover plate 7.Tfhe sides of the cover plate overlap, and are secured to, upstandinglian-ges 9 on the sides of the base 5 as is best shown in FIGURE 9.

When a clip-type electrical connection is formed, an individual clip 2is pushed by means of a clip pusher 18 (FIGURES 2 and 3) over a mandrel36 and onto a terminal post disposed in alignment with the mandrel. Theclip pusher 18 is of channel-shaped cross-section having top wall 22from which sidewalls 20 depend (see FIGURE 8). The leading end of theclip pusher hasdownwardly and rearwardly sloping camiming surfaces 23 oneach side Which function to control a detent device as described below.Clip pusher 18 is supported on, and movable over, a fixed guide rod 24which extends from the front end of the tool to the rearward end thereofand which is supported at its right-hand end, as viewed in FIGURE 1, bya flange 25 extending from the supporting base 5.

Guide rod 24 has an upstanding rib 26 (FIGURES 8-10) on its uppersurface which extends between the depending sidewalls 20 of the clippusher. When the tool is loaded, a strip of clips is inserted betweenthe sidewalls 2t) of the clip pusher astride the rib 26 until the stripof clips extends up to the leading end of the clip pusher as shown inFIGURE 3.

The strip of clips is fed leftwardly in FIGURE 1 during the workingstroke of the tool by means of a pair of spring arms 28 disposed againstcut-away portions 32 of the si-dewalls 20. The cut-away sidewallportions 32 do not exitend to the forward ends of the sidewalls so thata full sidewall thickness is provided as shown in FIGURE 2 at 27. Theseportions 27 of the sidewallscooperate with the camming surfaces 23 tocontrol a detent plate 52 (FIGURE 4). The ends 30 of the arms 28 areinward- 1y directed towards each other and extend through openings 31 inthe sidewalls 20, the arrangement being 'such that the inwardly directedends 30 will lodge in the gap between the le-ading clip of the strip andthe next adjacent clip thereof so that this leading clip will be pushed,and the trailing portion of the strip will be dragged, leftwardly inFIGURE 1 during movement of the clip pusher. 'Phe principles of thismethod of feeding terminal clips are more fully disclosed and claimed inapplication Serial No. 299,377, filed August 1, 1963 and in applicationSerial No. 451,104, filed April 23, 1965. The sprin-g arms 28 extendfrom, and are integral with, a U-shaped yoke member 34 mounted in aconforming recess on the clip pusher 18.

The mandrel 36 is of generally T-shaped crosssection and conforms to theinternal dimensions of the clip so that the leading clip can be pushedover and beyond the end of the mandrel by the clip pusher. Mandrel 36extends from a mandrel block 3S which, in turn, is nested in a recess inthe forward end of a supporting block 40. An opening 42 extendsdownwardly through the head of the mandrel 36 as viewed in FIGURE 3 forreception of the end portion of the wire 114 and a groove 44 slopesleftwardly towards the end of the mandrel from one side of this opening.A transverse opening 46 is provided in the mandrel and intersects theopening 42. The purpose of the opening 46 is to permit removal of thesection of insulation which remains when the wire is dragged over themandrel by the clip. Mandrel 36 has a tapered extension 48 whichprojects rearwardly towards the `guide rod 44 and overhangs a recess 50in the support block 4i), the width of the extension 48 being such thatthe strip of clips can be fed over it and onto the forward portion 36 ofthe mandrel. p

As explained more fully in application Serial No. 451,104, the leadingclip of the s-trip is broken away from the strip during movement of theclip pusher by means of a detent device which engages the next adjacentor second clip of the strip. In the disclosed embodiment, this detentdevice takes the form of a plate member 512 contained in the recess 50and biased upwardly and into engagement with the strip of terminal clipsby means of a spring 51 and a ball bearing 53. rPhe underside of Itheplate 52 is supported by the ball bearing 53 so that the plate ispermitted to rock during movement of the clip pusher. On its uppersurface, plate 52 is provided with a pair of opposed spaced-apart stops54, 56, the stop 54 having a rearwardly sloping surface 54a and aforwardly facing sheer surface 54h. The stop 56 has a rearwardly facingsheer surface 56b and a forwardly sloping surface 56a. The surfaces 54band 56b are spaced apart by a distance substantially equal to, andslightly greater than, the length of the curled portions 8 of thesidewalls of an individual terminal clip. Bosses 58, 6()

are provided on each side of, and spaced from, the stops 54, 56 and havesimilar sloping and sheer surfaces.

At the beginning of the operating cycle of the tool, the clip pusher 18will be in the position shown in FIG- URE 3 with the ends 30 of the arms28 lodged between the leading clip and the next adjacent, or second,clip of the strip. The leading clip of the strip will have its curledsidewall portions 8 lodged between the opposed sheer surfaces 54h, 56band the plate 52 will be held in a tilted condition by the sidewallportions 27 of the clip pusher. These sidewall portions 27 will, at thebeginning of the cycle, be bearing against the bosses 60 on each side ofthe boss 56. By reason of the fact that the left-hand end of plate 52 istilted downwardly, the leading clip is free to move leftwardly past theboss 56.

Upon leftward movement of the clip pusher from the position of FIGURE 3,the leading clip is moved over the mandrel until the next adjacent clipof the strip moves up to the plane of the surface 56h of the boss S6 atrwhich time the left-hand side of the plate will move upwardly under theiniiuence of the spring 511. The surface 56h will then be lodged infront of the next adjacent clip which wil-l thereby be prevented frommoving beyond the boss 56. VThe leading clip will thereafter be brokenaway from the strip by the clip pusher and will be pushed over themandrel and onto a terminal post disposed in alignment with the mandreland against a guide extension `49 on the mandrel block. During thereturn stroke of the clip pusher, the strip of `clips is held againstthe rightward movement in FIGURE 3 by the stop 54 since the forwardlyfacing surface 54b of this stop will be disposed against the trailingend of the clip.

The parts of the subassembly comprising lthe mandrel block 38, thesupport block 40, and the guide rod 24 are secured together by means ofsuitable fasteners as indicated at 65. I-t is desirable to provide agenerally U-shaped hood member 62 on the frontal end of the tool whichenclose-s a portion of the mandrel and the forward end of the clippusher 18. This hood member,

-in cooperation with the guide rod 24 and the mandrel 36, defines aconfined passageway through which the clip pusher moves so that the pathof the clip pusher is closely controlled during its stroke. A slot 63 isprovided in the frontal portion of the hood member 62 to permitinsertion of the wire into the opening 42. The support block 40 ismounted on a stationary platform member by means of a fastener 61 asshown in FIGURE 1.

The clip pusher 18 is moved leftwardly in FIGURES l and 3 by means o-f apair of coil springs 126 which are in a compressed condition at thebeginning of the operating cycle and which extend themselves to providethe necessary work for the movement of the clip pusher. Atftercompletion of the working stroke of the clip pusher, i.e., the leftwardstroke, the springs are compressed by means of a small motor 164 in thetool handle.

The manner of compressing the springs and the structure of the geartrain for effecting compression of springs is described in detail below.However, at this juncture it is pointed out that the clip pusher iscoupled to the springs 126 by means of two separate couplingarrangements, one of the coupling arrangements being an overload.release type coupling while the other coupling constitutes adisengageable rigid coupling. These couplings are arranged parallel witheach other so that the movement of the springs can be transmitted byeither route. The disengageable rigid coupling is effective during thefirst portion of the stroke of the clip pusher to transmit force orthrust from the springs 126 to the clip pusher 18 while the clip isbeing moved over the mandrel and is dragging the wire from the opening42 in the mandrel. A coupling between the clip pusher and the springsthe clip pusher takes place in two separate stages.

capable of transmitting a relatively high thrust is needed during thisinitial portion of the stroke since the-highest force developed duringthe entire cycle is reached while the clip isl dragging the 'wi-re fromthe opening 42 and the overload release coupling would be incapable oftransmittingthese relatively high forces. The disengageable rigidcoupling is automatically disengaged during the initial portion of thestroke of the clip pusher leaving only the overload release coupling forthe transmission of forces from the springs to the clip pusher. Thisoverload release coupling is disengageable in order to avoid theimposit-ion of unduly high stresses on the clip if it is moved against apreviously applied clip on the terminal post before the forward strokeof the clip pusher has been completed. In other words, if the clip beingapplied is moved against a previously applied clip,

' the overload release coupling would be automatically disengaged. Thebroad idea of providing a disengageable rigid coupling and an overloadrelease coupling on a tool for making clip-type 'connections isdisclosed and discussed in detail in'application Serial No. 302,896,tiled August 19, 1963, by Robert Franklin Cobaugh, now U.S. Patent No.3,186,072. It will be understood then that the present embodiment showsan alternative arrangement for achieving the objects of the inventionexplained fully in application Serial No. 302,896.

There is also described below a triggering device which is arranged such-that the leftward or working stroke of ing the first stage, the clip ispushed leftwardly in FIG- URE 3 until it overhangs the left-hand end ofthe mandrel 36. Thereafter, and during the second stage, .the clip ispushed beyond the mandrel and onto a post disposed in alignment withthemandrel. The advantages of this interrupted stroke feature asdescribed in application Serial No. 344,304, tiled February 12, 1964,now U.S. Patent No. 3,186,073 granted June 1, 1965, are that the toolcan be positioned in alignment with the terminal p ost at the end-of therst portion of the cycle and the overhanging clip on the mandrel can beutilized as a guide means for aligning the mandrel with the clip.

Turning now to FIGURES 8-1 l, it will be seen that the clip pusher 18and the guide rod 24 are centrally contained in a channel-shaped carriermember 64 comprising an elongated web 66 having sidewalls 68, 70 at itsopposite ends. The clip pusher 18 is connected to the push rod carrier64 by means of a pin ,72 which extends between the sidewalls 70 andthrough a transverse slot in the push rod as best shown in FIGURE 7. Itwill thus be apparent that any movement of the push rod carrierl member64 will be transmitted to the push rod itself through this pin. Aspreviously noted, the guide rod 24 is supported at its ends by the block40 and by the flange 45 and does not move relative to the clip pusherduring operation. The .carrier 64 has its sidewalls cut awayintermediate its ends as shown yat 74 and a guide rod support tray 76 ismounted in this cut-away section. The length in the support tray 76 issomewhat less than the length of the cutaway sections 74 of thesidewalls so that relative movement of the support tray 76 is permittedwith respect to the push rod car-rier 64. Support tray 76 extendslaterally beyond the sidewalls 68,70 as shown at 78 so that the extentof such relative movement of the support tray with respect t0the'carrier 64 is limited. A tongue 80 integral with tray 76 extendsrearwardly of the carrier 64 andbetween thersidewalls 70 Aand a similartongue 82 extends forwardly trom the support tray and between thesidewalls 68. l

The tongue 82 has laterally extending ears 84 at its forward end (FIGURE9) which are provided with semicircular notches within which there aredisposed ball bearings 88. These ball bearings extend through slots 86in sidewalls 68 and extend partially through slots 90 iDur-.

92 are biased towards each other.

l 85 and will be forced relatively outwardly to cause limited levers 92.The sides of the slots 86 are slightly convergent at their forward endsand have arcuate recesses which are located adjacent to the rearwardends of the slots. These recesses are of a radius smaller than theradius of the ball bearings 88 and the ball bearings are seated in theserecesses when the overload releasej coupling is engaged. The levers 92are of generally channelshaped cross-section and are pivotally mountedintermediate their ends on pins 94 on each side of the sidewalls 68 ofthe carrier 64. AThe rearward ends 96 of the levers 92 are engaged byspring fingers 98 which extend from a U-shaped yoke section 100. Thesespring fingers 98 normally bias the rearward ends 96 of the levers awayfrom each .other whereby the forward ends of levers The ball bearings98, in cooperation with the recesses 85 in the slot-s 86, lfunction toreleasably couple the carrier 64 to the levers 92 so that leftwardmovement of the pins 94, as viewed in FIGURE l, will result in movementof the clip pusher in the same direction.

The connection between the clip pusher and the pins 94, however, is ofthe overload release type in that if the clip pusher encounters a highresistance (as when the leading clip is pushed against a previouslyapplied clip), the ball bearings 88 will be unseated from the recessespivotal motion of the levers 92 against the biasing force of the springfingers 98. When this happens, the push rod carrier 64, and the push roditself, cease to move and the levers 92 Iand the pins 94 are permittedto continue t0 move toward the forward end of the tool. The ballbearings 88 will roll in the slots 86 after they have moved out of therecesses 85 during such relative movement of the levers 92 with respectto the push rod carrier 64.

The push rod carrier 64 also has a ball bearing type i suspension latits rearward end between a pair of upstanding sidewalls 135 of a plate134 described in detail below. As best shown in FIGURE 11, the tongue 80of the tray 76 is enlarged at its ends and is provided withsemi-circular notches within which ball bearings 71 are seated. Theseball bearings extend through slots 69 in the sidewalls 70, and extendinto aligned slots 133 in the sidewalls `13S. The ball bearings 71 donot function as an overload release connection between the push rodcarrier and the side walls 135 but serve to center the carrier 64 at itsrearward end and to support it in `a manner such that it can move withrespect to the sidewall 135.

The yoke member 100 from which the spring arms 48 extend has arearwardly extending tongue 101 which is disposed between a pair ofupstanding sidewalls 135 of a plate 134. The tongue 101, the plate 134,and a plate 104 which is beneath plate 134 are all -secured to areciprocable slide 107 by means of a fastening means 105, 158. Slidemember 107 comprises an elongated, relatively narrow plate 108 havingdepending sidewalls 110, 112 at its forward end. The plate 104 isdisposed against the plate 108 and secured thereto by means of anadditional fastener 106 (FIGURE 10) described be low. The sidewalls 110,112 of plate 108 have extensions at their forward ends which are bentoutwardly to form laterally extending flanges 114. These flanges areprovided with semi-circular notches 115 which are received incircumferential grooves 117 of a pair of collars or bushings 116 (seeFIGURE 5). The bushings 116 are slidably mounted on parallelspaced-apart guide rods 118 whichare secured to flanges 122, 124 of afixed support platform-120. The platform 120 is secured by any suitablemeans to the upstanding flanges 9 on the sides of the frame member 5,as, for example, by depending ange's of the platform 120. The springs126 are interposed between the flanges 124 and the bushings 116 so thatwhen these springs are in a compressed condition, as is the case inFIGURE l, they will urge the bushings and,`

therefore, the slide member 107 leftwardly or towards the front end ofthe tool.

A trigger mechanism, which is described in detail below, normally holdsthe slide member 107 in the retracted position shown in FIGURE 1. If itis assumed that this trigger mechanism is released so that the springsare free to push the bushings 116 and the slide 107 leftwardly in FIGURE1, it will be apparent that the clip pusher 1S will also be movedleftwardly by virtue of the fact that the thrust of the springs will betransmitted through the slide 107 to the plate 104 thence through thepins 94 which are secured to plate 104 (see FIGURE 10) to the levers 92.Since the levers 92 are moved leftwardly during movement of the slide107, they carry with them the push rod carrier 64 by virtue of the balldetent connection 86, 88, 90 between the fingers and the carrier 64. Thepush rod itself is moved leftwardly by virtue of the pin 72 whichconnects the sidewalls 70 of the carrier 64 to the push rod.

The force transmissionpath described immediately above constitutes theoverload release force transmitting means in that the carrier 64 willbecome disengaged from the levers 92 if a resistance of a predeterminedmagnitude is encountered by the clip. There will now be described thedisengageablc rigid connection between the clip pusher 18 and thesprings which constitutes an alternative path of force transmission fromthe springs to the clip pusher.

The ldisengageable rigid coupling between the push rod 1S and the slide107 is achieved by means of a rockable angled plate member 127 disposedin the central section of the tool and extending through a centralopening 132 in a plate 134, see FIGURES 11 and 18. Plate 127 has atongue 128 on its leading end which normally extends obliquely of thesurface of the plate 134 when the parts are in position of FIGURE 4, andis lodged in a cutaway section 130 of the web 66 of the carrier 64. Thetongue 128 has an opening 133 therein through which an upstanding flange136 on the leading end of the plate 134 extends. The plate 134 issecured to, and movable with, the slide member 107 by the fastener 105and by the fastener 106. Fastener 106 extends downwardly throughbushings 140, 141 in a plate 150 (described below) and is threaded intothe slide member 107. It will thus be apparent that the leftwardmovement of the slide 107 results in the leftward movement of the plate104, the plate 134 and the member 127 by virtue of the relationship ofthe flange 136 and the openinglSS in the tongue 12S. The tongue 123pushes the carrier `64v leftwardly by virtue of its engagement with theweb 66 of this carrier. Since this force transmission path is dependentupon the position of the tongue 128 in the cutaway section 130 of thecarrier 64, force will be transmitted from the springs to the clippusher only so long as the member 127 is in the orientation shown inFIGURE 18. This disengageable rigid connection is disengaged during theworking stroke of the clip pusher by swinging the tongue downwardly in amanner which will now be described.

As previously noted, the plate 127 extends downwardly and obliquelythrough the opening 132 and through an opening 152 in the plate 150. Theplate 127 has a zigzag contour at its lower end as shown at 146 (FIGURE11) and is provided with a pair of spaced-apart trailing feet 148 on itslower end. These feet extend downwardly through a pair of spaced-apartslots 154 in the plate 104 so that one foot is disposed on each lside ofthe plate 108. The slots 154 are formed by a U-shaped opening in theplate 104 to define a central tongue member 156- that functions as aspring for the member 127 as described below.

The fixed platform 1207is provided with inwardly directed ears 149intermediate its ends which are located such that the feet v148 will bedisposed behind or to the right of these ears when the parts are in theposition of FIGURE 1. It should also be noted that the section 147 ofthe plate 127 is normally supported on the upper surface of the plate108 with the spring tongue 156 bearing against the upper surface of thesection 147 so .that this plate will be retained in the position ofFIGURE 18.

When the slide member 107 moves leftwardly from the position of FIGURE18 under the influence of the springs 126, the feet 148 will, after alimited amount of movement, move against the ears 149 whereby these feetwill be `raised slightly. The entire plate 127 is thereby pivoted aboutits center in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 18, sothat the tongue 128 moves downwardly and out of engagement with the pushrod carrier 64. It will be apparent from the drawings that only alimited amount of movement of the slide member 107 takes place beforedisengagement of this rigid force transmission means. An inspection ofFIGURE 3 will reveal that, in fact, this rigid force transmission meansis needed only until the leading clip is moved beyond the opening 42 inthe mandrel block 38 since it is during this portion of the stroke ofthe clip pusher that relatively high loads must be transmitted to theclip.

As previously noted, the slide member 107 is retracted and the springsare compressed at the end of the working stroke of the clip pusher bymeans of a relatively small high-speed electric motor 164 contained inthe tool handle 3. Retraction of the slide member 107 also effectsretraction of the clip pusher 18 since slide 107 is secured to plate 104and the pins 94 extend through the plate 104 extend through the levers92. The carrier 64 is thus pulled backwardly during the rearwardmovement of the channel member 108 by the levers 92.

The retraction of the slide 107 and the clip pusher is brought about bymeans of the plate 150 which is connected to the slide 107 by means ofthe fastener 106. As best shown in FIGURE 10, this fastener has anenlarged head which extends through the plate 134, through the bushings140, 141, in plate 150, through plate 104, and is threaded into theupper surface of the slide 107. This fastener thus couples the plate 150through the slide member 107 by virtue of the bushings 140, 141. It willbe noted from FIGURE 10 that the pins 94 have enlarged `collars adjacentto their lower ends which extend through oversized openings 151 in `theforward end of plate 150. These oversized openings permit limitedlateral movement or wiggle of the plate 150 during operation.

The power from the motor 164 for retracting the plate 150 1s transmittedthrough a pinion 168 on the output shaft of the motor 164 to a gear 170.The gear 170 is coupled through an over-running clutch (not specificallyshown) to a pinion 172 which is coaxially disposed with respect to thegear 170. Pinion 172, in turn, meshes with a relatively large gear 174(FIGURE 16) on a splined shaft 176 having its lower end rotatablymounted in bearing means in the support base 5. The shaft 176 extendsupwardly through a bearing 181 which is rotatably mount- K ed in theextension 162 of the platform 120. Shaft 176 has secured thereto a plate177 contained in a stepped cylindrical housing 180 which is secured tothe extension 162 by a pin 163. It will-thus be apparent that thehousing 180 will remain stationary while the circular plate 1.77 willrotate with the shaft.

A pair of ily weights 179 having a semi-cylindrical configuration areprovided beneath the plate 177 and in surrounding relationship to theshaft 176. Each of these Weights is pivotally mounted on a pin 133 whichextends between the plate 177 and the gear 174 as shown in FIG- URE 16.Each weight is provided with a notch in its periphery in which there ismounted a felt insert 185. The arrangement-is such that when the shaft176 rotates in the direction of the arrow of FIGURE 17, the weights 179are also rotated and ten-d to pivot in a counterclockwise directionabout their pivotal axes 183. The felt inserts V are thereby urgedagainst the surface of the vthe control of the operator.

housing 180 by the centrifugal force developed. The frictional forcesdeveloped tend to reduce the speed of rotationof the shaft and retardthe forward movement of the clip pusher while it is moving a terminalclip only a terminal post.

The splines on the -upper portion of the shaft 176 function as a pair ofspaced-apart pinions 182 which lare separated by a collar,184. Thepinions 182 mesh with a pair of spaced-apart generally oval-shaped rackgears 186 Which function as a closed circuit rack. rI`he collar 184 ofthe shaft 176 is received in a track 188 between the gears 186 andprovides bearing surface for the parts during operation. The rack gears'186 and track 188 are formed on a single block which is secured -to acap member 190. The cap member 190 in turn is secured to the plate 150at the rearward end thereof, this plate being provided with anoval-shaped opening 4192 (FIGURE 11) through which the gears 186 extend.

From the foregoing, it will be-apparent that when the channel member 108and all of the parts secured thereto move leftwardly in FIGURE 6 underthe influence of the springs 126 (as takes place during the Workingstroke of the tool), the lrack gears 186 will move with respect to thefixed pinions 182 until the rack gears 186 are in front of the pinions182. Since the racks 186 move relatively around t-he fixed pinions 182,the plate 150 will move laterally to a limited extent during the workingstroke of the tool.

At the end of the working stroke, the front end 201 of the plate 150engages an arm -200 of a miniature switch 198 and closes a startingcircuit for the motor 164. When this motor is energized, the gears ofthe gear trains 168, 170, 172, 174, and 182 are driven to cause thespaced-apart rack gears 186 to be moved relatively rearwardly over thegears 182 thus pulling the plate 150 rearwardly. During this rearwardmovement of the plate 150, the switch arm 200 is maintained in adepressed condition by an arm 194, 196 which extends -from the front endof the plate 150. After the completion of this portion of the operatingcycle, that is after the plate 150 hasl been returned to the position ofFIG- URE 1 and the springs have been retracted and compressed, the arm194 moves out of engagement with switc'h arm 200, the normally openswitch 198 is opened,` and the power supply to the motor 164 is cut olf.

It will be noted that the arm 194, 196 extends somewhat obliquely of thelongitudinal axis of the tool. The farm has this configuration in orderthat it will remain in contact with the switch arm 200 during rearwardmot-ion of the plate 150 and will not engage the switch arm 200 duringthe forward motion of the plate 150. The lateral movement of the plate150 accounts -for the fact that the switch arm 200 is maintained in aclosed position during the return stroke but permitted to remain openduring the forward stroke of the tool.

When the parts are in the position of FIGURE l and the gun is cocked,the channel member 108 is prevented from leftward movement by la triggermechanism under This trigger mechanism achieves the split cycle orinterrupted stroke feature described in U.S. Patent No. 3,186,073.Referring to FIG- URES 12-15, it will be noted that the sidewall 110 ofthe plate 108 is cut away at 202 while the other sidewall 112 iscontoured to provide a forwardly sloping edge 204, a `straight edgeportion 206, a forwardly yfacing shoulder 208, an additional straightedge portion 210, and a shoulder 21-2 formed immediately forwardly ofthe section 210. The latch mechanism comprises a plate 214 which isnormally disposed against the edges of the side- 10 opening in theflange 216. The opening in flange 216 is somewhat wider than the section218 of plate 214 so that the front end of plate 214 is free to movelaterally in its own plane to a limited extent. An opening 219 in theend portion of the plate 214 is provided for the accommodation of a coilspring 220 which bears against the plate 214 at one end and against therearwardly facing surface of the iiange 216 at its opposite end. Thisspring thus biases the plate 214 rearwardly of the tool axis and iholdsthe plate in the position shown in FIGURES 13-15. The left-hand side ofthe plate 214, as viewed in FIG- URES 13-15, has an inwardly slopingedge 222 and astraight section 224. A notch 226 is provided adjacent thefrontal end of the plate and an ear extends laterally in front of thenotch 226. The plate 214 is normally disposed, as shown in FIGURE 13,against the edges of the sidewalls 1110, 112 land the ear or arm 228 ispositioned in front of the shoulder 212 at the start of the operatingcycle.

Control of the latch plate 214 is achieved -by means of a spring plate230 comprising a pair of -arims 234, 236, the opposed sides of whichconverge as shown at 238, 240 to define an opening for a wedge member248. The arm 236 of the spring member has a lateral extension 242 whichis folded as shown at 243 so that this extension overlies the ends ofthe two arms 234, 236.

The arm 234 has a relatively short offset tongue 244 on its leading endwhich is displaced inwardly from its side so that the spring member 230can be positioned, -as shown in FIGURE 13, in overlying relationshipwith respect to the plate 214 With tongue 244 in notch 226. The springplate 230 is secured to and held against the plate 214 by means of ashort ange 246 on the end of the arm 236 which is hooked in an opening227 in the plate 21,4.

The spring member 238 is held in position at its rearward end by meansof a tongue 232, which extends into the spring 218, and a pair ofrelatively short extensions on each side of the tong-ue 232.

The wedge member 248 is d-imensioned to conform to the opening deiined'by the opposed edges of the larms 236, 234 which resiliently bearagainst .the sides of the wedge. A iiange 252 is provided on therearward end of walls 110, 112. This plate 214 extends rearwardly theWed-ge member and extends through the spring plate 230 and through theopening 219 of the plate 214. Flange 252 has lateral extensions 254which function to maintain it in assembled relationship as shown in FIG-URE 13. Therforward end of the wed-ge member 248 is tape-red as shown at250 so that this wedge member can move forwardly (i.e., upward-ly inFIGURES 13-15) to wedge the arms 234, 236 apart. The wedge member 248 iscontrolledI bymeans of a trigger 256 which is pivotally mountedintermediate its ends on a pin extending between a pair of upstandingilanges or ears in the base member 5. The upper end 260 of this triggerextends through the opening 219 of the plate 214 and between ithe arms234, 2136 .of -the spring member 230. The resilient tendency of the arms234, 236 to move towards each other in'their own -plane biases the wedgemember 248 to the position shown in FIGURE 13.

The operation of the trigger mechanism is as follows. When thereciprocable parts, including the several plates and kthe slide 107are'in the position of FIGURE 1, the

parts of the trigger mechanism will be as shown in' FIGURE 13. The slidemember 107 is retained against forward movement by the laterallyextendin-g ear 228 of the plate y214 which projects beyond the shoulder212 of the sidewall I1112 and functions as a stop for thev slide membert107. l

When it is desired to initiate rthe operating cycle, -the operato-rmerely squeezes the -trigger 256 causing leftward movement in FIGURE 1of the upper end 260 of this trigger to push the wedge member 248 fromthe position of FIGURE 13 Ito ythe position of FIGURE 14. The wedgemember 248 moves relative to the spring plate member 230 and causes thearm 236 there-of to pivot in a clockwise direction about its lower end,as viewed in FIGURE 14, movemen-t of the -other a-rm 234 being preventedlby the bearing of the extension 244 of arm 234 on the sidewall portion210. Since the arm 236 is secured to the plate 214 by iiange 246, thismovement of the arm 246 causes the plate 214 to swing rightwarddy at itsforward end until it reaches `the position of iFIGURE 14. The ear 228 isthus moved from its position in front of the shoulder 212 (see FIGURE,14) and the slide-member 107 is projected leftwardly in FIGURE 1 underthe influence of springs 126. When the portion 210 of the sidewall 112moves beyond the extension 244 of the arm 234, Ithe forward end of plate230 swings leftwardly until its reaches the position of FIGURE 15. Thismovement of the plate 230 is brought about by the spring 220 whichmaintains the plate in axial alignment with the channel member 108 (ie.in the positions of FIGURES 13 and 15). The ear 228 then lodges againstthe shoulder 208 thereby arresting the forward movement of the channelmember 208. When the for- -ward mot-ion of the slide member is arrested,the clip pusher is also restrained since the clip pusher is conhected tothe slide as noted above. It should be added that the spring 220functions as a buffer or shock absorber when the ear 228 is stopped bythe shoulde-r 208 and prevents the imposition of high shock stresses onthe parts.

The parts are thus shown in FIGURE 15 in the positions they occupy afterthe operator has squeezed the trigger 256 for the first time and beforehe has released the trigger. Thus, in FIGURE 15 the upper portions 260of the trigger is disposed against the flange 252 of the wedge member248 and the wedge member is being retained in the position shown inFIGURE 15 by .the pressure exerted on the iiange by the trigger. Whenthe operator releases the trigger after pulling it f-or the iirst time,the arm 234 springs inwardly lfrom its position shown in FIGURE 15 andpushes the lwedge member 248 downwardly, as viewed in this figure, ortowards the rearward end of the tool. When the arm 234 movesri-ghtwardly in FIGURES 15 in this manner, the eX- rtension 244 of thisarm moves past the sidewall and lodges against the inner surface of thesidewall `1-12 of the channel 107. From the foregoing, it will beapparent that the plate y230 and the wedge member 248 move not 4only intheir own plane but also must move late-rally of their plane during theactions shown in FIGURES 13-15.

The operator then squeezes the trigger a second time to drive the wedge248 Ibetween the surfaces 238, 240 of plate 230 thereby again swingingthe arm 236 rightwardly in a manner similar to that described above andshown in FIGURE 14. Again, the extension 228 of this arm is moved fromits position against shoulder 208 and the channel member 108 is againfreed. The forward stroke of the clip pusher is then completed under theinfluence of the springs 126.

The ope-ration of the disclosed embodiment can be briefly described asfollows. The parts will normally be in the position shown in FIGUREl 1with the springs 126 being in a compressed condition and with thereciprocable parts (the slide 107, the plates i104, y115, 134, and thepush rod support 64) and the push rod restrained against forward motionby the trigger mechanism as described immediately above. The operatoryfirst inserts .the end por-tion of a wire through the slot 63 in thehood 62 and into the opening 42 of the mandrel 36. The operatorthereafter squeezes the trigge-r 256 to release the slide 107 asdescribed immediately above for the iirst portion of the forward stroke.At this time, the push rod moves leftwardly in FIGURE 3 until it passesthe opening 42 in the mandrel and -pushes lthe leading clip up to, andslightly beyond, the end of the mandrel 36. During this portion ofthecycle, the wire will be engaged by the clip and dragged vfrom theopening 42 and over the upper surface of the mandrel. It should also benoted that during -this portion of the cycle, the force is transmittedfrom the slide 107 to the push rod through the force transmitting member127 until this member is disengaged from the underside of the, push rodcarrier 64 as previously explained. Du-ring subsequent portions of thecycle, force transmission from the slide 107 to the push r-od is by wayof the plate 104, the pins 94, the yarms 92 and the overload releasecoupling between these arms and the reciprocable carrier 64.

After the completion of the first portion of the stroke, the operatorpositions the tool in alignment with the terminal post with the end ofthe mandrel against the upper end of the post and with the side of thepost and against the extension 49 of the mandrel block. Accuratealignment of the tool with the terminal post is facilitated by theterminal clip which overhangs the end of the mandrel and assists inguidingv the end of the post against the mandrel head. The operator thensqueezes the trigger 56 a second time to release the slide 107 wherebythe movable parts including the push rod are moved leftwardly in FIGUREl until the clip is moved onto the post. During this portion of thecycle, if the clip should be moved against a rigid stop, such as apreviously applied clip before the forward motion of the parts have beencompleted, the overload release coupling between the push rod carrierand the fingers 92 would be disengaged and the fingers 92 and theremaining parts connected to the slide 10-7 would continue to move whilethe push rod carrier would remain stationary. As explained in U.S.

' Patent No. 3,186,072, this arrangement prevents the imposition -ofunduly high stresses on the clips when they are pushed against eachother.

As noted previously, the governor weights 179' on the plate 177 functionto retard the forward motion of the reciprocable parts. It will beapparent that when the channel member 108 moves leftwardly in FIGURE l,it will carry with it the plate so that the racks 186 will be movedrelative to the pinion 182 causing the shaft 176 to be turned. The dragof the inserts 185 on the wall of the housing 180 retards the forwardmotion of the parts so that the pushing action of the springs is subduedand abrupt stops, which might damage the parts, are avoided. It shouldalso be noted that during this portion of the operating cycle, theover-running clutch, which is effective between the pinion 172 and thegear 170, disengages the motor from the reciprocating parts in order toavoid the magnetic drag of the motor. At the end of the forward stroke,the switch 198 is closed by the forward end portion 201 of the plate 150and the motor 164 is thereby energized to rotate or turn the pinion 168.This pinion acting through the gear train 172, 174, and 182 causes therack 186 to move relatively rightwardly in FIGURE 1 thereby retractingreciprocable parts and compressing the springs 126. Depending upon theratios of the gears in the gear train 164, this retraction portion ofthe cycle may take a comparably long time interval, up to a second ortwo. This is not a disadvantage for the reason that there is always atime interval of at least several seconds between successive operatingcycles during which lthe operator positions the wire in the mandrelopening and removes the tool from its working position.

The principles of the invention thus permit the achievement of a handtool for assembling or similar operations having -a reciprocable memberwhich can be lactuated by a relatively small electric motor. Thisfeature of the invention is dependent upon the use of the springs 126 asa power source for driving the clip pusher of the disclosed embodimentin combination with the mechanism shown for compressing the springs atthe end of the operating cycle. The invention is not necessarily limitedto tools for making clip-type electrical connections but can bepracticed in other instances where a reciprocable member is involved andwhere it is desired to use a small electric motor as a power source. Theparticular embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is especiallyuseful for making clip-type electrical connections in that it containsfeatures which have been found to be particularly advantageous in toolsfor making such connections.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus including a reciprocable slide member, theimprovement comprising resilient means biasing said slide member in thedirection -of its working stroke, rack means movable with said slidemember, a pinion in engagement with said rack means, a motor forrotating said pinion, switch means for energizing said motor at the endof said working stroke whereby said slide member is retracted againstthe force of said spring means at the end of said working stroke, andreleasable latch means for holding said slide member in its retractedposition.

2. An assembling device comprising, a push rod reciprocable along apredetermined path, a work-engaging means mounted on said push rod,spring means biasing said push rod in one direction along saidpredetermined path, said one direction constituting the direction of theworking stroke of said push rod, power means for retracting said pushrod against the force of said spring means, means for automaticallyactuating said power means at the completion of said Working stroke, andmeans for releasably holding said push rod in its retracted condition.

3. An assembling device comprising, a push rod reciprocable along apredetermined path, work-engaging means mounted on said push rod, springmeans biasing said push rod in one direction along said predeterminedpath, said one direction constituting the direction of the workingstroke of said push rod, power means for retracting said push r-odagainst the force of said spring means, control means for said powermeans, said control means being operative to actuate said power means atthe end of said working stroke and to de-actuate said 'power means atthe end of the return stroke of said push rod, and means for releasablyholding said push rod in its retracted condition.

4. A device as set forth in claim 3` wherein said power means comprisesa rack and pinion, said rack being connected to said push rod, and amotor for rotating said pinion, said control means comprising a switchfor starting and stopping said motor.

5. Apparatus for applying a terminal clip to a terminal post to form anelectrical connection between a conductor and said post, said apparatuscomprising, recip rocable clip pushing means, resilient means biasingsaid clip pushing means in the direction of its working stroke, powermeans for retracting said clip pushing means against the force of saidresilient means, control means for said power means, said control meansbeing operative to actuate said power means at the end of said workingstroke and to de-actuate said power means at the end of the returnstroke of said clip pushing means, and detent means for releasablyholding said clip pushing means in its retracted position whereby, saidspring means is normally compressed and upon release of said detentmeans, said clip pushing means is moved in the direction of its workingstroke by said spring means, and after said clip is pushed onto saidpost, said clip pushing means is retracted against the force of saidspring means by said power means.

6. An assembling tool comprising, a slider member reciprocable along apredetermined path, work-engaging means on said slide member, springmeans biasing said slide member in one direction, said one directionconstituting the direction of the working stroke of said workengagingmeans, a continuous closed circuit rack and a pinion in engagement withthe teeth of said rack, means for rotating said pinion including a motorand a gear train, said gear train including at least one weigh-ted gearcapable of functioning' as a governor, switch means for energizing saidmotor when said slide member reaches the limit of its working stroke andfor de-energizing said motor when said slide member is fully. retracted,and means for relea-sably holding said slide member in said retractedposition whereby, upon initially releasing said slide member, saidspring means pushes said slide member in the direction of said workingstroke with said weighted gear functioning to retard and control saidslide member, said switch means being effective to actuate said pinionat the end of said working stroke thereby to retract said slide memberpreparatory to the next operating cycle of said tool.

7. An assembling tool comprising, a slide member reciprocable along apredetermined path, work-engaging means on said slide member, resilientmeans biasing said slide member in one direction constituting theworking stroke of said work-engaging means, a continuous rack and apinion, said pinion being rotatable on a xed axis and said rack beingmovable with respect to said pinion, said rack being connected to saidslide member, means for rotating said pinion when said slide memberreaches the end of said working stroke, means for stopping rotation ofsaid pinion when said slide member is fully retracted, and means forreleasably holding said slide member in its retracted condition.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 899,872 9/1908Keys 74-30 1,513,627 10/1924 Reschke 74-30 3,151,389 10/1964 Stine29-203 3,152,390 10/ 1964 Floyd 29-203 3,186,073 6/ 1965 Cobaugh et al29-203 WHITMORE A. WILTZ, Primary Examiner.

THOMAS H. EAGER, Examiner.

1. IN AN APPARATUS INCLUDING A RECIPROCABLE SLIDE MEMBER, THEIMPROVEMENT COMPRISING RESILIENT MEANS BIASING SAID SLIDE MEMBER IN THEDIRECTION OF ITS WORKING STROKE, RACK MEANS MOVABLE WITH SAID SLIDEMEMBER, A PINION IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID RACK MEANS, A MOTOR FORROTATING SAID PINION, SWITCH MEANS FOR ENERGIZING SAID MOTOR AT THE ENDOF SAID WORKING STROKE WHEREBY SAID SLIDE MEMBER IS RETRACTED AGAINSTTHE FORCE OF SAID SPRING MEANS AT THE END OF SAID WORKING STROKE, ANDRELEASABLE LATCH MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID SLIDE MEMBER IN ITS RETRACTEDPOSITION.